Magnificent Mutants

Take a moment to picture this: You’re strolling down Neopia Central, as casually as any passerby, when the notorious Dr. Sloth appears as if out of nowhere! Alarmed and suspicious, you either shrink back in fear or take a battle stance – but instead of aiming his deadly-looking blaster at you, he takes something out of his pocket and simply hands it to you. You take a wary look at the object, and gasp – it’s a Draik Transmogrification Potion!

As you accept the highly-prized gift and make a run for it before the dastardly villain can change his mind, you realize that you have a few options as to just what to do with this potion. Do you: A. Auction it off for millions of Neopoints and then let others marvel at the splendour of your wealth; B. Give it to your pet, but immediately paint him to get a nice-looking, normal Draik; or C. Give it to your pet, and then leave him as he is in all his mutant glory?

The correct answer is D. Give the potion to me, so I can use it and finally have my dream pet. *cough* Okay, okay, I’m just kidding. Seriously, though – you really ought to give option C some consideration.

It is understandable why some pets and their owners are hesitant about trying out the Mutant colour. After all, just look at the descriptions for some of these potions: “This disgusting potion looks like it would do something nasty to your Neopet...” Still, a colour is a colour, and the Mutant look doesn’t have to be confined to lovers of the macabre and victims of a wayward lab zap.

Of the many colours available, Mutant is almost certainly the most unique. This is a property inherent in its very existence – the property of taking a Neopet and changing it to a form that is noticeably different from average members of its species – a mutated form. It is one of the few colours (Maraquan and Baby are the only other common ones) that largely changes a pet not only in detailed appearance, but in form and natural pose as well. The Hissi gains a second head, the Aisha’s long ears become mouths, and the harmless Grundo becomes tough and strong. While some pets may prefer to be “normal”, a great many of them want to stand out and be different. And what better way to show that they’re not part of the herd than by picking out a daringly unique colour for themselves?

Pets that have undergone transmogrification can certainly turn heads. Depending on the species, many of them would make great Battledomers based on an intimidating appearance and useful extra appendages. Just imagine the look on an opponent’s face when your four-armed Krawk steps into the ring! Of course, now you may be thinking, “But my pets don’t want to be Battledomers! Why should they transmogrify themselves when they want to look cute, not frightening?” But don’t give up on the colour just yet! Mutant pets may look quite strange, but that doesn’t mean they all look scary. Would you be intimidated by a Mutant Gnorbu walking by? How about a Mutant Blumaroo? While such looks might not exactly be pretty in the average person’s book, a great number of people consider these pets to be “so ugly they’re adorable!” And have you seen the magnificent colours on some of these species? When you look past the unnatural form of, for example, the Mutant Peophin, you may come to find that it actually looks kind of nice – maybe even beautiful.

Now that you know about the many benefits and endless possibilities of the Mutant colour, you’re probably ready to dash off to the Rainbow Pool to see all the options, or even to the Auction House to get a Transmogrification Potion here and now. What? No??? Erm... Well, I’m sure you are at least seriously thinking about it now, so just roll with me here. Anyway, before you go off and convince your lovely Uni to try out a Buzz Transmogrification Potion, there are a few things you should take into careful consideration to make sure that both you and your pet are making the right choice.

1. Does my pet really want to be a Mutant? While the Mutant colour shouldn’t be left off your list of favourite colours simply because of its odd properties, the fact remains that not all pets would feel comfortable as a Mutant. It’s the same story with any colour – A pet shouldn’t be forced to paint himself Pink or Darigan if he doesn’t want to either. If you really want that Mutant Draik, but your perfectly lovely Royal Draik doesn’t want to change, then use the potion on a pet that is actually willing. After all, Transmogrification Potions change a pet’s species as well as their colour!

2. Does my pet like wearing clothes? This may seem to be an awfully strange question, but don’t forget that Mutant pets can’t be customized with regular clothes. (They can still use background and foreground items, though). Although other colours with this customization problem are beginning to receive special, colour-specific clothing, none for Mutant pets have been released yet at the time of this article’s writing. The only exceptions are a couple of items that come with the Mutant species, such as the Mutant versions of the Aisha Collar and Bruce Bow. So if you or your pet is really into customization, consider using a different colour for her.

3. What about my Neopet’s Petpet? While some pets don’t really care what their Petpets look like, others like to have their small companions match their own looks. If your pet is this way, never fear! Not only are there a multitude of strange, fierce or even creepy Petpets and colours to choose from, but a number of species can be painted Mutant themselves.

Transmogrification, the process of changing Neopets and Petpets into one of Neopia’s most unusual colours, doesn’t exactly have the highest reputation. However, with a little consideration of just how special the Mutant colour can be, you can come to truly appreciate it. So this Mutant Day, don’t shy away or simply giggle about how Sloth’s crazy Mutant-themed schemes are continuously thwarted. Instead, celebrate the day and honour this strange and magnificent colour. Who knows? One of your pets just might decide that they want to be a Mutant pet, too.